Akathist for the Respose of the Departed

Kontakion
1.

O
Thou Who by Thine inscrutable providence didst prepare the world for
eternal beatitude, Who appointest to all the time and manner of their
end: Forgive, O Lord, the sins of those who have died in past ages,
and receive them into habitations of light and rejoicing, and open
Thy fatherly embrace to them in mercy, and hearken unto us who
celebrate their memory and sing:

O
Thou Who savest fallen Adam and the whole human race from eternal
perdition, O Good One, Thou didst send Thy Son into the world, by
Whose Cross and Resurrection life eternal hath dawned upon us.
Trusting in Thine infinite compassion, we look for the incorruptible
kingdom of Thy glory, we implore Thee to grant it to our departed
ones, and we pray Thee: O Lord, gladden souls wearied by the storms
of life, that they may forget earthly sorrows and sighings; do Thou
harken unto them in Thy bosom, as a mother heareth her children, and
say to them: Your sins are forgiven you. O Lord, receive them into
Thy blessed, calm haven, open to them the palaces of angels and
saints, that they may rejoice in Thy divine glory.

Enlightened
by the illumination of the All-highest, Saint Macarius heard a voice
from a pagan skull: When you pray for those suffering in hades, then
there is comfort for the heathen. O wondrous power of Christian
prayer, by which even the nether regions are illumined! Both
believers and unbelievers receive consolation when we cry for the
whole world: Alleluia!

Ikos
2.

The
words of Isaac the Syrian are recalled: The heart of the merciful
offereth prayers with tears every hour for people and animals and all
creation, that they may be preserved and purified. Wherefore, we also
boldly ask of the Lord help for all the dead from the ages, crying: O
Lord, send down to us the gift of flaming prayer for the dead; O
Lord, remember all who have charged us, the unworthy, to pray for
them, and disregard the sins they have forgotten; O Lord, have mercy
on all who have been buried without prayer; O Lord, receive into Thy
tabernacles all who in sorrow or joy have suddenly finished their
course.

We
are to blame for the calamities in the world, for the sufferings of
dumb creatures and for the diseases and torments of blameless
children, for through the fall of man the beatitude and beauty of all
creation have been marred. O Christ our God, greatest of innocent
sufferers, Thou alone hast power to forgive all. Forgive, then, all
and everything, return to the world its former prosperity, that both
the living and the dead may find peace, crying: Alleluia!

Ikos
3.

O
Gentle Light, Redeemer of the world, Thou Who dost embrace the whole
world with Thy love: behold, Thy cry from the Cross for Thine enemies
is heard: Father, forgive them! And in the name of Thine
all-forgiveness we dare to pray to our heavenly Father for the
eternal repose of Thine enemies and ours: O Lord, forgive those who
have shed innocent blood, those who have sown our path of life with
sorrows, those who have built their success on the tears of their
near and dear ones: O Lord, condemn not those who persecute us with
slander and malice, repay with mercy those whom we have wronged or
offended through ignorance, and let our prayer for them be holy
through the sacrament of reconciliation.

Save,
O Lord, those who have died in severe sufferings, those who were
murdered, those buried alive, those who were drowned or burned, those
who were torn by wild beasts, those who died of famine, cold or
storms, or by falling from heights, and grant them Thine eternal joy
for the sorrow of their end, that they may bless the time of their
suffering as a day of redemption, singing: Alleluia!

Ikos
4.

All
who have been taken by the grave in the brightness of youth, who have
been pierced on earth with the thorny crown of suffering, all who
never saw earthly happiness, do Thou recompense, O Lord, through the
compassion of Thine infinite love; O Lord, reward those who died
under the heavy burden of labor; O Lord, receive into the mansions of
Paradise youths and maidens who have departed, and vouchsafe them
rejoicing at the supper of Thy Son; O Lord, soften the grief of
parents over the loss of children; O Lord, give rest to all who have
no family, those who are alone, who have no one to pray from them,
that their sins may vanish in the rays of Thine all-forgiveness.

As
a last means to bring us to understanding and repentance, Thou, O
Lord, hast given us death. In its threatening light earthly vanity is
exposed, carnal passions and sufferings become subdued, unruly reason
is humbled, eternal righteousness is revealed; wherefore, inveterate
sinners and atheists on their deathbed confess Thine eternal being
and cry to Thy loving-kindness: Alleluia!

Ikos
5.

O
Father of all consolation, Thou brightenest with the sun, delightest
with fruits, and gladdenest with the beauty of the world both Thy
friends and enemies. We believe that even beyond the grave Thy
loving-kindness, which is merciful even to all rejected sinners, doth
not fail. We grieve for hardened and lawless blasphemers of holiness;
O Lord, may Thy saving and gracious will be over them. Have
compassion upon those wounded by pernicious unbelief, and who have
not known Thee here on earth, that they may know and love Thee in
heaven; O Lord, forgive those who have died without repentance, save
those who have committed suicide in darkness of mind, that the flame
of their impiety may be extinguished in the sea of Thy Grace.

Terrible
is the darkness of a soul separated from God, the torments of
conscience, the gnashing of teeth, the unquenchable fire and the
undying worm. I tremble at such a fate and, as for myself, I pray: O
ye that suffer in hades, may our song descend upon you as a
refreshing dew: Alleluia!

Ikos
6.

Thy
light, O Christ our God, hath shone upon those that sit in darkness
and the shadow of death, and those in hades, who are not mindful of
Thee; having descended into the nethermost parts of the earth, do
Thou bring out into joy those who have been separated from Thee by
sin, but who have not renounced Thee; O Lord, Thy children suffer,
forgive them; for they have sinned against Heaven and before Thee,
immeasurably serious are their sins, but also infinite is Thy mercy.
Visit the bitter destitution of souls far removed from Thee; O Lord,
have mercy on those who hated the truth out of ignorance, let Thy
love be to them not a burning fire, but the cool delight of Paradise.

Desiring
to give a helping hand to the reposed, O Lord, do Thou open Thyself
to the living, appearing to them in mysterious visions, and inspiring
them to prayer, that they who remember the departed may do good works
and labors of faith for them, crying aloud: Alleluia!

Ikos
7.

The
universal Church of Christ offereth prayers every day for the
reposed; every hour the sins of the world are washed away by the
Most-pure Blood of the Divine Lamb; from death to life, and from
earth to Heaven the souls of the departed ascend through the power of
prayers for them before God’s altars. O Lord, may the intercession of
the Church for these dead be a ladder to Heaven; O Lord, have mercy
on them through the prayers of the Most Holy Mother of God and all
the saints. Pardon them for the sake of the faithful who cry unto
Thee day and night; O Lord, for the sake of innocent children have
mercy on their parents, and by the mothers’ tears redeem the sins of
their children. O Lord, for the sake of the prayers of innocent
sufferers, by the blood of martyrs, spare and have mercy on sinners.
O Lord, receive our prayers and alms as a memorial of their virtues.

The
whole world is a common sacred cemetery, in every place is the dust
of our fathers and brethren. O Christ our God Who alone lovest us
unchangeably, forgive all that have died from the beginning until
now, that they may sing with boundless love: Alleluia!

Ikos
8.

Behold
the day cometh as a fiery furnace, the great and terrible day of the
Last Judgment, when the secrets of men will be laid bare, the books
of conscience will be opened. Be ye reconciled to God! crieth the
Apostle Paul: Be ye reconciled before that terrible day. Help us, O
Lord, to fill up with the tears of the living that which was lacking
in the dead. O Lord, let the sound of the angel’s trumpet be to them
the good tidings of salvation, and vouchsafe unto them joyful
forgiveness at the hour of Thy judgment. O Lord, crown with glory
those who suffered for Thee and cover the sins of the weak with Thy
goodness. O Lord, Who knowest all by name, remember those who have
been saved in the monastic order; remember blessed pastors with their
spiritual children.

Bless
swiftly passing time: every hour, every moment bringeth eternity
nearer to us. A new sorrow, a new gray hair are heralds of the world
to come, they are witnesses of earthly corruption, they proclaim that
all passeth away, that the eternal kingdom draweth nigh, where there
are neither tears, nor sighing, but the joyful song: Alleluia!

Ikos
9.

As
a tree loseth its leaves little by little, so also our days with each
year, decline into weakness. The festival of youth fadeth. The lamp
of rejoicing is extinguished, the isolation of old age approacheth,
friends and family die. Where are the young merrymakers, joyful and
happy? Silent are their tombs, but their souls are in Thy hand; their
glances are felt from the world beyond the grave. O Lord, Thou art
the Brightest Sun: do Thou illumine and warm the abodes of those who
have fallen asleep. O Lord, let the time of our bitter farewell pass
for ever, vouchsafe us a joyful reunion in Heaven. O Lord, cause that
all may be one with Thee. O Lord, restore to the departed the purity
of childhood and the genial spirit of youth, and let eternal life be
to them a Paschal Festival.

Shedding
silent tears at the graves of our kindred, we pray with hope, and
with expectation we cry aloud: Tell us, O Lord, that Thou hast
forgiven their sins! Give our spirit a secret revelation concering
this, that we may sing: Alleluia!

Ikos
10.

Looking
back, our eyes behold afar the whole path of life: from the first day
until now, already have died a multitude of people who did good
things for me. Rendering unto them a debt of love, I cry: O Lord,
vouchsafe heavenly glory to my parents and those nearest and dearest
to me, who watched over my childhood cradle, who nurtured and brought
me up; O Lord, glorify in the presence of the holy angels those who
proclaimed the word of salvation to me, who taught me right and truth
by the holy example of their lives; O Lord, delight with hidden manna
those who ministered to me in difficult days. Reward and save all my
helpers and benefactors.

O
death, where is thy sting, where is thy former darkness and terror?
Henceforth thou art welcome, for thou dost unite us inseparably with
God. Great peace, thou art the mystical sabbath. The Apostle crieth:
I have a desire to die and to be with Christ. Wherefore, gazing upon
death as on a gateway to life eternal, we cry: Alleluia!

Ikos
11.

The
dead shall rise and those in the graves shall stand up, and those who
are alive on earth shall be joyful, for they shall arise with
spiritual bodies, radiantly glorified, incorrupt. Dry bones, hear the
word of the Lord: I will bring upon you a spirit of life, I will
cover you with skin; rise out of the ancient past, ye who are
redeemed by the Blood of the Son of God, restored to life by His
death. Over you is the light of the Resurrection. O Lord, open now to
them the depths of Thy perfections. Thou hast shone upon them the
light of the sun and moon, that they may see also the glory of the
radiant choirs of angels. Thou hast delighted them with the majesty
of the rising and setting of the light of Heaven; may they also see
the unwaning light of Thy Divinity.

Flesh
and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God; however long we live
in the flesh we are separated from Christ, but if we die we live for
eternity. Our corruptible body must put on incorruption, so that in
the light of the unwaning day we may sing: Alleluia!

Ikos
12.

We
await the meeting with the Lord, we await the bright dawn of the
Resurrection, we expect the raising of our near and dear ones from
the tombs and the restoration of the dead to the most reverent beauty
of life. We triumph in the coming transfiguration of all creation and
cry to our Creator: O Lord, Who didst create the world for the
triumph of joy and goodness, Who hast raised us up to holiness out of
the depths of sin, grant the dead to reign in the midst of the new
creation, that they may shine in Heaven on the day of their glory. O
Lord, let the Divine Lamb be to them the unwaning light. O Lord,
grant us also to celebrate with them a Pasch incorruptible; unite the
dead and the living in unending joy.

O
most-compassionate and unoriginate Father, Who desirest that all be
saved, Who didst send down Thy Son to the perishing and didst pour
out Thy life-creating Spirit! Have mercy, forgive, and save our
kindred and near and dear ones, (NN.),
who have fallen asleep, and all from the ages who have finished their
course, and through their intercession visit us, that together with
them we may shout to Thee, O Saviour God, the triumphal hymn:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Ikos
1.

O
Thou Who savest fallen Adam and the whole human race from eternal
perdition, O Good One, Thou didst send Thy Son into the world, by
Whose Cross and Resurrection life eternal hath dawned upon us.
Trusting in Thine infinite compassion, we look for the incorruptible
kingdom of Thy glory, we implore Thee to grant it to our departed
ones, and we pray Thee: O Lord, gladden souls wearied by the storms
of life, that they may forget earthly sorrows and sighings; do Thou
harken unto them in Thy bosom, as a mother heareth her children, and
say to them: Your sins are forgiven you. O Lord, receive them into
Thy blessed, calm haven, open to them the palaces of angels and
saints, that they may rejoice in Thy divine glory.

O
Thou Who by Thine inscrutable providence didst prepare the world for
eternal beatitude, Who appointest to all the time and manner of their
end: Forgive, O Lord, the sins of those who have died in past ages,
and receive them into habitations of light and rejoicing, and open
Thy fatherly embrace to them in mercy, and hearken unto us who
celebrate their memory and sing:

O
God of spirits and of all flesh, Who hast trampled down death, and
overthrown the devil, and given life to Thy world! Do Thou Thyself, O
Lord, give rest to the souls of Thy departed servants: most holy
pontiffs and patriarchs, most reverend metropolitans, archbishops and
bishops, priests, and those who have served Thee in the Church and in
the monastic order; the founders of this holy temple, our spiritual
forefathers, fathers, brethren and sisters, here and everywhere laid
to rest; officers and soldiers who have laid down their lives for
faith and fatherland, the faithful slain in civil wars, those who
were drowned, burned, frozen to death, torn by wild beasts, those who
finished the course of their lives without repentance and had no
opportunity to be reconciled with the Church and with their enemies;
those who took their own lives in madness of mind; for all who
enjoined and asked us to pray for them; those who were not vouchsafed
Christian burial; and for the servants of God (NN.),
in a place of light, in a place of repose, whence all sickness,
sorrow, and sighing are fled away. Pardon every sin committed by them
in word, deed, or thought, in that Thou art a good God, the Lover of
mankind; for there is no man that liveth and sinneth not; Thy
righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy word is truth.

For
Thou art the resurrection and the life, and the repose of Thy
departed servants, (NN.), O Christ our
God, and unto Thee do we send up glory, together with Thine
unoriginate Father, and Thy most holy, good, and life-giving Spirit,
now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.